Chapter 200 - Plans within Plans

"Cover your face."

Calron whispered, his back against the wall in a dark alley as he furtively glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby.

"Why are we hiding like this if we simply going to your home?"

Yelin grumbled but proceeded to pull up the hood on her cloak to effectively hide her face.

"I"ll explain later, but we need everyone to think I"m dead for a while. When I give the signal, make a straight leap over the walls."

Calron said quietly, his head peeking from the edge of the wall.

The two were currently standing near the Raizel mansion and waiting for a chance to slip inside undetected. It was late at night, but there were still a few people wandering around.

"Now."

Calron exclaimed softly to Yelin once the two strangers had crossed the Raizel mansion"s gates.

In a smooth motion, Yelin jumped up and glided over the walls while Calron used his Blood Mist Step to kick himself over the barrier. However, the moment they trespa.s.sed the walls, several guards swiftly teleported themselves where the two were and pointed their spears accurately at their necks.

"It"s me."

Calron removed his hood, revealing his face. Yelin followed his example soon after.

"Young master!"

The guards quickly dropped their weapons and gave Calron a light bow. However, looks of confusion could be seen on their faces as they tried to decipher why the young master jumped over the walls like a thief instead of coming through the gate. Moreover, he had brought a guest to the mansion.

"You are not to tell of my arrival to anyone else besides the Elders."

Calron stated firmly, his eyes boring into the guards.

"Yes, young master!"

The guards retreated back to their previous locations without questioning Calron"s orders. If this order came from any other member of the young member of the Raizel clan, they would have resisted it and tried to find out the reason. However, they did not dare question Calron"s words as everyone in the clan knew his importance to the Patriarch.

"Follow me. The Patriarch must have already sensed our presence, so he"ll be here to greet us shortly."

Calron muttered, leading Yelin towards his hut.

During their journey back to the city, Yelin had revealed who her master was and all the people colluding with him. The truth brought immense rage to Calron, but he bottled it up for the moment.

"Brat!"

Calron did not have to wait for long as the Patriarch soon arrived with his bulky body crashing down to the ground.

"Grandpa, I have some news."

Calron immediately got to the point, his face completely stoic while the Patriarch picked him up like a child and bounced him in the air.

Meanwhile, Yelin was still baffled as to how the old man suddenly came from the sky without her detection. However, that confusion left the moment she saw Calron being treated like a ball by the gigantic old man, and she burst into laughter.

"Who is this?"

The Patriarch finally noticed Yelin and put Calron down with his eyebrows raised.

"Let"s go inside and I"ll begin explaining what happened during the mission."

Calron spoke, heading inside his hut while the remaining two followed behind him.

"Resir…"

The Patriarch"s light blue eyes flared with fury and a suffocating atmosphere settled within the room as the old man"s aura leaked out.

After Calron recounted his tale, the Patriarch was seething with anger at Resir for trying to a.s.sa.s.sinate Calron.

"Grandpa, you need to calm down. The darklings" invasion is a much higher priority at the moment."

Calron attempted to alleviate the tension in the room, seeing Yelin in pain under the old man"s aura.

"Did the others inform you about the darklings army?"

Calron asked.

"The kids came back in the afternoon and told us about the army close to our border. The King has currently a.s.sembled a war council with the other Tower Lords, but I sent Kail in my place once I heard that you stayed behind in the darkling territory."

The Patriarch replied, restraining his anger but anyone could see the blaze of fire hidden within his eyes.

"You know I"m capable of handling myself."

Calron teased the old man.

"Not against this opponent, brat. The one who leads this army is Zieter, and he is one of the five Generals of the darkling army. The General is not only a rank for the darklings, but also a t.i.tle as it"s only given the five most powerful of their kind. He"s a tough opponent even for me, so be glad that you did not encounter him directly."

The Patriarch shook his head at Calron"s foolishness.

Zieter? Was that the guy who summoned all the darklings before I left?

Calron recalled the commanding figure in the center of the camp.

"Now, tell me why you chose to sneak into the mansion instead of entering normally."

The old man folded his arms and gazed at Calron.

"I want Resir to think I"m dead. I subdued the soul imprint inside Yelin"s body so he"ll think that she was killed by me after I was poisoned. He"ll be at the speech with complete confidence at his victory, and that is when we"ll strike and take him down along with his allies."

Calron detailed out his plan.

"The King will not punish Resir harshly for harboring secret slaves as he knows that almost every major power in the city has them. It"s best we annihilate the Talok clan before word reaches the King, and by then it"ll be too late for him to intervene."

The old man"s bloodl.u.s.t returned, causing Yelin to yelp in surprise.

"Talok? Resir is from the Talok clan!?"

Calron exclaimed, remembering that Bren"s clan was named "Talok" as well.

Was he deceiving me as well?

He inwardly thought, but he had an instinctual feeling that Bren was not part of Resir"s ploy. The young man might have been sn.o.bby and petty, but he had an honorable quality to him.

"Are you an idiot? How could you not even know that about your enemy? Especially one that recently tried to kill you."

The old man sighed, flicking Calron"s forehead with his finger.

"Anyways, we"ll not attack the entire clan solely due to Resir"s actions. As far as we know, he was the only one who attacked us and not the entire clan. If the King does not punish Resir, I have some plans of my own if it comes to that."

Calron answered, ignoring the "idiot" comment. He was starting to hate that word after traveling with Bren.

"Fine… Stay hidden for two more days until the speech, and I"ll inform the clan Elders about your situation as well. Girl, come with me and I"ll find you a room for the night."

The Patriarch got up, gesturing Yelin to follow him. He had already received the beast skins from Calron with enemy information, and it had to be delivered to the war council immediately.

"I"ll find you tomorrow morning, Yelin."

Calron said as Yelin was leaving with the Patriarch.

"Thank you once again."

Yelin smiled brightly, lowering her head to Calron before leaving the hut.

"Resir, I will make you pay for trying to kill me."

Once Calron was alone in the hut, he whispered icily to himself. He hid his anger from the Patriarch to avoid any impulsive actions, but how could Calron remain calm after knowing that someone wanted him dead?

Calron did not reveal his entire plans to the old man, as he needed the element of surprise on his side once he sprung his plans into motion. He already knew the King would not punish a Tower Lord like Resir, and that was exactly what Calron was counting on for his secret plan to work.

"Huh? Roran?"

Calron abruptly muttered, sensing something strange inside the Blood Legacy"s source pool.

No, it"s Rebran!